About us

Van Holten’s story began in 1898 in Milwaukee, WI, when Dutch immigrant Jerry G. Van Holten's dream of owning his own business became a reality. He opened business as a vinegar distributor and soon added sauerkraut and pickle products to the company’s offerings. In 1939, Van Holten's developed the original Pickle-In-A-Pouch. This product concept of individually wrapped pickles was way ahead of its time and continues to be the cornerstone of Van Holten's business.

As the demand for the Pickle-In-A-Pouch grew so did the need for larger facilities, prompting the move to Waterloo, WI in 1956. Business continued to thrive in the 1960’s and 1970’s and operations were expanded to Delaware to supply the demand for sauerkraut and pickles. The 1980’s, however, saw a turn in fortunes, with increased competition and other market pressures putting a strain on the company and almost forcing it to close in the early 1990’s. In 1992, seeing Van Holten’s potential for growth, Milwaukee-based entrepreneur Jim Byrnes purchased the company. He focused on blending the innovation and passion that made the company successful so many years ago with common-sense business practices. This focus has continued under his son, Steve Byrnes, who purchased the company from his father in 2012.

In recent years we have built a new factory, automated our packaging process, added new products, and doubled our capacity all while increasing sales for 14 straight years. Van Holten's continues to evolve using the same formula of quality, service, innovation, and passion that has made the company successful for well over 100 years. That is just a little bit about us, but take a look at some of the other links below to learn more.